Paper Love hiatus
by Fancymuffinsandwannabecakes
Summary: Being Lavender Jones isn't always easy. The moment Lavender finishes stitching her heart and relationship to her mother back together, her older twin brother's begins to unravel. Unfortunately Lavender's past mistakes refuses to be ignored.
1. Chapter 1

Being Lavender Jones isn't always easy. The moment Lavender finishes stitching her heart and relationship to her mother back together, her older twin brother's begins to unravel. When the news of FP Jones' impending doom reaches the ears of his estranged family, Lavender takes it upon herself to don the armour of a white knight and save her twin from the series of bad events destined to follow.

Unfortunately Lavender's past refuses to be ignored, and a certain Southside Serpent is more than willing to undo all of her carefully done stitches. Once again.

This is a Sweet Pea x Jughead!Twin fanfic

Playlist: Youtube playlist?list=PLd1lH-v39wsW1Geq2_9EnwhxTp0k1yQ0F

Moodboards: fancymuffins-and-wannabecakes . Tumblr tagged/paper love

and remember songs are added to the playlist as the story progresses :)

May become slightly AU

I do not own Riverdale, the Archie comics or the characters

I only own Lavender and any other OC that may appear

English is not my first language, so any constructive criticism regarding spelling ot grammar is welcomed with open arms 


	2. Toledo Blues

Toledo, Ohio With a stumble Lavender entered the bus and presented the driver with a small smile and a damp curled up ticket. She barely looked at Lavender, all of her attention on the ticket. It would certainly need it. It was a sad piece of yellow paper, it's text barely readable. Giving up on the ticket, the bus driver turned her attention onto the young woman standing before her. Well aware of what she looked like, Lavender's smile didn't falter one bit, if anything it reached her eyes even more. Drenched to the marrow and shaking in her boots. Finally the bus driver concluded that her newest passenger's appearance explained the state of the ticket. With a small nod from the older woman, Lavender moved on and found herself a seat.

Immediately removing her backpack once seated, Lavender found her leather folder. With a sigh of relief the dark haired girl's fears were laid to rest. Her sketches were dry. "Sprinting through the rain can do such murderous things to one's art", Lavender couldn't stop herself from snorting at the thought. "I haven't seen Jughead in so long i've begun thinking like him". Looking out into the rain soaked city passing by Lavender's thoughts returned to her older twin. She would be lying if she said he wasn't missed. By her and Jellybean alike. The latter had been fury personified, when it was revealed that Jughead wasn't moving to Toledo with them. Lavender understood though. Had she been given a choice, like Jughead, then she would be in Riverdale right now. It was her own fault, she understood that too.

Banishing her borderline depressive thoughts, Lavender repacked her bag. The bus had almost reached her stop. Rising from her seat and taking her place by the doors, Lavender psyched herself up for one last sprint in the pouring rain. "There's a nice hot cup of cocoa waiting for me at home," she muttered quietly to herself. The doors shot open, and Lavender was off. The rain was mercilessly attacking the poor youth from every possible direction, causing her to practically fall through the front door of the modest one-story house her mother was renting.

Standing, like an angel with an affinity for heavy rock, was Jellybean armed with a hot cup of cocoa and a large fluffy towel. Kicking the door shut, the ten year old looked at her sister lying on the floor, soaked and out of breath, and the younger girl instantly knew that she was by far way cooler than her older sister. With her cheek pressed to the carpet, Lavender managed a quick "Is that cocoa for me, Jellybelly?" "Only if you start calling me JB," She responded, amusement at her sister's antics colouring her words. Picking herself up, Lavender looked Jellybean straight in the eyes. Not a difficult feat. The two girls were almost the same height despite their 6 year age gap, and due to Lavender inheriting their mother's lack of height and Jellybean inheriting their father's unnecessary amount of height. "Never!" Lavender said in her most fake offended tone. "Well, guess that's your loss." Jellybean shrugged and left her sister standing alone in the hall. Freezing and robbed of her beloved hot cocoa. "That little devil." Lavender emptied her bag and left it to dry on a coat hanger. Postponing her much anticipated cup of cocoa, Lavender decided that taking a warm shower would be the smarter course of action. Upon Entering the house's only bathroom, the young girl finally got a proper look at herself. Long hair hanging in tangles and dripping water on the floor, mascara and eyeliner staining her cheeks, highlighting her pale-as-a-ghost complexion. "Eh, I've looked worse." And with that thought, Lavender went to work removing one wet layer after the other.

While the shower's warm water worked to banish the numbness from Lavender's frozen limbs, the girl thought of her mother. Or more specifically her mother's unusual behaviour. Gladys Jones had taken on the brave pursuit of finally getting her GED. A fact that filled both her daughters with pride. It was mostly through online courses, but once in awhile Gladys would have to go to an evening class or two, and these classes often coincided with her eldest daughter's art classes. The mother/daughter duo would drive to the community center together, and then Lavender would take the bus home since her classes ended first. These trips had become little moments of light for both women. They had been the first step in mending their torn-apart relationship and trust. Only this time Gladys had been quiet. Disturbingly so. Lavender had no trouble recalling the last time her mother had been so quiet. It had been right before Gladys told her daughters to pack their bags. After three days of silence, Gladys left her husband, her home and her eldest child. "But Dad is sober now, and he and Jughead are moving to Toledo." Lavender was at a complete loss. One thing was sure though, the silence had something to do with Forsythe Pendleton Jones II, and that something was bad news.

By 10 o'clock the rain had softened. The only light in the house came from the television and an old chain of fairy lights hanging in the window. Lavender had been waiting for her mother, since putting Jellybean to bed. She was determined to get answers the second her mother came through the front door. A sudden light from the front yard alerted Lavender of her mother's arrival.

Gladys found her eldest daughter curled up on the couch sporting a grim look on her face. Knowing that an ugly conversation was about to take place, Gladys lowered herself onto the couch with a tired sigh. "Dad and Jug aren't coming to Toledo are they." It was more of a statement than a question. Her mother's facial expression told Lavender, she was right. With tears in her eyes, she faced her mother. A clear indication that the young girl was expecting an explanation. Taking a deep breath the blonde woman admitted the truth, she had desperately been trying to save her daughter from. "Jason Blossom was found dead. Killed." She didn't stop to take in the look of shock on Lavender's face. "And FP and the Serpents were involved in his murder." Tears began rolling down the cheeks of both women. A look of confusion crossed Lavender's face. Her father, a murderer? It was impossible for Lavender to reconcile the man she knew with the information she was being given. Gladys continued. "Your brother is currently staying with Fred Andrews and Archie. We've decided it would be for the best that Jughead stays with them for the time being." Lavender felt like the world around her was crumpling. Nothing was making sense. Why would her mother let Jughead stay in the town where their father was being tried for murder? Had her mother forgotten, what the residents of Riverdale was like? It was unacceptable to Lavender. Her brother was being left behind, and she refused to allow it. Over her dead body. Lavender was going to Riverdale, and her mother couldn't stop her.


	3. The Bus to Memory Lane

The Jones Home, Toledo, Ohio

Gladys had put up an admirable fight, but there were none as stubborn as Lavender Pendleton Jones. A mother's determination to keep her daughter out of harm's way, was no match against the outrage that took over Lavender's body following the news of her father and brother's circumstances. In Lavender's eyes, Gladys Jones was leaving her son to the wolves. Their verbal duel became so loud it woke up the family's youngest member. A bleary eyed and confused Jellybean marked an immediate stop to the loud debate. "Go back to bed Forsythia." Jellybean's gaze shifted from her sister to her mother. "No." Gladys and Lavender both fell completely silent. This was a new development. It was no secret, that Jellybean had a mind of her own, but she had never been outright disobedient to either of her parents. Until now. Since the two older women were going to behave like children, the youngest Jones decided, that she would be the acting adult. Taking a seat on the couch Gladys and Lavender had abandoned in their anger induced ire, Jellybean gave them both a patient look. "Someone tell what all of this ruckus is about." "Forsythia," Gladys began with a soft voice, before being steamrolled by her eldest daugher. "Dad is going to prison and Mom is leaving Jug to fend for himself," was quickly uttered by Lavender as if ripping off a bandaid.

There were many adjectives one could use to describe Forsythia Pendleton Jones, but quiet had never been one of them. From the moment she was brought home from the hospital, she had filled every aspect of her family's life with loud chatter and even louder music, but her sister's statement made her go quiet for the first time in her 10 years of loud living. The silence filled every corner of the room, wrapping itself around the three like a thick blanket on a hot summer. Too stifling and oppressive. "You should let Lavender go to home, Mom" muttered Jellybean so quietly they almost didn't hear her. Gladys and Lavender both realized, that Jellybean had known what their fight had been about all along. She had merely wanted one of them to look her in the eyes and be honest about it. Gladys took her seat next to Jellybean and enveloped her in her arms. "Fine, but I have some conditions and rules, I expect you to follow." The statement was directed at Lavender, who was well aware of what her mother was about to demand of her.

The Greyhound Bus Station, Toledo, Ohio

Like a tsunami of bad omens,imposing grey clouds were making their way across the sky. Lavender had never been one for superstition, but the dark grey colour of the sky were turning her nerves upside down. When the small family had first set foot in Toledo, Lavender had wished she had never left Riverdale, but now she felt trepidation and anxiety at the mere thought of her former home. Lavender knew, she had to suck it up. Her twin was very possibly in a world of trouble, or if he wasn't already, then he without a doubt would be soon. She had to be there for him. It wasn't in Lavender's nature to forsake the people, she held closest to her heart.

Below the grey blanket of clouds three/ fifths of the Jones family were saying their goodbyes. Gladys held her departing daughter close to her. Reluctantly she released her, and two sets of identical eyes settled upon each other. "Remember what you promised," came a warning from the blonde. "Yes mom, minimal contact and interaction with Serpents." Lavender replied, but muttered under her breath, "but I don't see how since I'll be at Southside." Gladys awarded her daughter with a stern look. Lavender quickly moved on to her younger sister. Jellybean had her gaze firmly directed at the pavement in an attempt to hide her tear filled eyes. Lavender stuck out her pinky finger and smiled, gaining her sister's attention. "Hey Jellybelly, Ghost Club. Now and forever." This caused a small smile to bloom forth on the smaller girl's face. Linking her pinky finger to her sister's, Jellybean proudly declared, "Ghost Club. Forever and ever." Uttering her final goodbyes and promises to be on her best behaviour, Lavender boarded the bus, that would return her to her former home town. Or what was left of it anyway.

Somewhere Between Toledo and Riverdale

The low hum of the bus was Lavender's only steady companion. It came as no surprise, that only a handful of the greyhound's passengers would be going all of the way to Riverdale. After almost three hours spent in complete boredom, Lavender resorted to sketching her fellow travellers. As her pencil moved across the notebook paper, her thoughts ran through various different scenarios, trying to figure out what had led the other passengers to the journey they were all now undertaking. The next scenario more dramatic and heart wrenching than it's predecessor. But they were all, each and everyone one, a small path in a large labyrinth named distraction. A distraction that wasn't working it turned out when Lavender looked at her work, and instead of seeing a complete stranger she found herself face to face with the silhouette of a memory. For months his name had been banned from passing her lips, and the memory of him... No them, had been safely locked away somewhere deep inside of her. Lavender could feel the memories pressing to be set free. "Might as well, it's not like I can avoid him for much longer. If I break now, at least it's in a place where everyone is too absorbed in their own melancholy to notice mine."

 _The Twilight Drive-In, Riverdale. A Week Before Summer Vacation_

 _The first time Lavender put on the uniform, a sense of freedom and accomplishment came over her. She had spent all summer coming up with the perfect routine, practising day after day, memorising it like her life depended on it. And at the time it had felt very much like her life, did in fact, depend on it. Impressing Cheryl Blossom and earning a spot on The River Vixens Cheer Squad had taken over the 14-going-on-15 year old's mind, to the grand disappointment of Jughead. He had called her a wannabe, and been rewarded with a flying sneaker to the face. Lavender had persisted, and before their first day as students of Riverdale High, her twin's pessimism had been replaced by brotherly support. Both teens had needed a distraction from their parents' crumbling marriage anyway. Now almost a year later, sandwiched between Tina Patel and Cheryl Blossom, the 15 year old felt like she was going to have a joy induced heart attack. Lavender could almost taste the liberation of summer on her tongue. It flowed lightly in the air, swirling around every fresh faced teen in the drive-in. The squad of Cheerleaders were busy making plans for the summer and exchanging the latest gossip, when Cheryl turned to her youngest disciple with a mischievous smirk, "So Lavender, you've got some explaining to do." Throughout the school year the only outright attention Cheryl had granted Lavender, was to tell her she needed to work on her high kick, so the sudden attention left Lavender at a loss for words. "Let me clarify. How come Mr. Tall, Dark and Serpent is looking at you like you're his next meal."_

 _Not believing Cheryl's words, Lavender discreetly shifted her gaze to the loudest crowd among the movie goes. Teenagers and young adults clad in leather jackets, far more familiar to Lavender than she cared to admit, entered her sights. Letting her eyes roam from serpent to serpent, she was startled when her grey eyes locked onto the fiery gaze of an unfamiliar tall, dark haired serpent. He gave her a crooked smirk, and Lavender's heart skipped a beat. Unable to fight the blush rising to her cheeks, Lavender broke eye contact in a rush and returned to her original position. Felling a soft hand brush her hair away from her pink face and behind her ears, Lavender was met by Cheryl's amused smile. "Aaaww, looks like our little flower has lured a snake into her garden." The older girl's words caused her object of attention to blush even deeper, because Cheryl had been right. In a rush of momentary confidence Lavender risked another look at the dark haired serpent and meet his eyes again. When he licked his lips, Lavender turned to her companions and claimed she needed to use the restroom. As she passed Cheryl, the redhead took a hold of Lavender's hand and winked at her before letting her leave._

 _Since it first opened in the early fifties The Twilight Drive-in had been ground zero for Riverdale's countless of hookups and breakups between the town's youth. Lavender hadn't left for the restroom, and it had never been her intention either. With adrenalin running through her veins, Lavender had done the unthinkable and entered Fox Forest, Sweet Pea following shortly behind._

Leaning her forehead against the cold window, Lavender closed her eyes. Thinking back on it, she could almost feel the rough surface of the tree she had been pressed against. The warmth of his body and the feeling of his lips on her neck, while his hands moved under the skirt of her cheerleading uniform. The cold rings he wore, had broken the spell taking over her body. She chickened out, saying her friends were going to start worrying about her. He hadn't let go of her immediately, keeping her between him and the tall tree. It had been common knowledge at Riverdale High that Lavender Jones was virgin territory, but this wasn't one of her classmates. The look in his eyes told her, he knew she was lying, but all he asked for was her name before setting her free. It wasn't until later in their relationship Lavender realised, that he had known who she was, and who her father was, from the very beginning. Lavender left the forest with the taste of him on her lips, unaware it would never fade.

The once happy girl opened her eyes and gave a sad look to the world beyond the bus window. She almost wished, she could go back to the time before summer had started. Everything had seemed so much simpler. Lavender prepared herself for another 5 long hours.

In the flashback Lavender is 15 and it's the last week of her freshman year

Ages:

Lavender + Jughead + Archie + V + B + Toni + Fangs: 16 years, sophmores

Sweet Pea + Cheryl: 17 years, juniors


	4. Daddy Issues

Small use of profanity

* * *

Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Riverdale

It was painfully clear that Fred Andrews had no idea what to say to the teenage girl seated in the booth before him. The last time Fred had seen his best friend's daughter, she had been a happy-go-lucky 15 year old who saw stars in the eyes of every person she met. The girl in front of him, reminded Fred more of her gloomy twin than the sunny Lavender he had known. Munching on a burger each Fred finally broke the awkward silence, that had accompanied them since he had picked her up at the bus station, "Your mother didn't mention where you'll be staying while you're here." After taking a generous sip from her coke, Lavender answered, "Don't worry, I'll be staying in dad's trailer." Fred nodded and shot a concerned look her way. "You know, Jughead will be living with a foster family." Lavender hadn't been aware. Fred's paternal side took over, when he witnessed an air of dejection overcome the young girl, and sought to comfort her. "I am sure everything will work out, if you just give it time," and with a comforting smile he added, "and I know for a fact, that Jughead will be thrilled when he finds out you're back." Lavender happily accepted Fred's attempt at comfort. To Lavender it had always seemed like Fred Andrews was one of the only sensible adults in Riverdale, even after he fired her father.

After the much needed icebreaker, and breakfast, Fred gave Lavender a final lift to FP's trailer. Picking up her bags, Lavender turned to Fred, "thank you Mr. Andrews. For the lift and for taking care of Jughead." Fred nodded and returned to his truck, but before getting in he looked at Lavender and said, "If you or Jughead ever need anything, my door is open. You're good kids, remember that," and with a parting wave Fred left the Southside and Lavender entered her new home.

Riverdale Cemetery, Northside, Riverdale

Lavender didn't linger inside the trailer. She saw no reason to. It was barely noon, meaning Jughead was still having his clever mind degraded by the U.S educational system. Being trapped in a bus for almost 8 hours had Lavender itching with claustrophobia, so the last thing she wanted was to sit around twiddling her thumbs in a closed off trailer. Wandering the empty streets of Riverdale had seemed like a perfect way to pass her time, and clear her head.

It felt otherworldly being back. Almost like she was dreaming. In Lavender's absence exactly nothing had changed in the sleepy town, yet nothing was the same. Murder and tragedy had made their home in town, amplifying the hate, previously suppressed, in the hearts of Northsiders and Southsiders alike.

With her mind running in circles with a 100 miles an hour, Lavender's feet acted on their own accord. The Riverdale Cemetery was a morose and haunting piece of Riverdale history. If Riverdale was in your blood this is where you would end up. No matter what. Looking up at the large iron gate, Lavender finally woke from her musings. Making a quick decision Lavender walked passed the cemetery and into the only flower shop in town. Thinking, "What the hell, it can't hurt," Lavender bought what she needed.

The snow was slowly falling when Lavender found the grave. She wasn't surprised, when she saw the array of different flowers and letters scattered by the large gravestone. Jason Blossom had always been popular and loved. Shivering from the cold, Lavender lit the candle and placed it by a bouquet of white and blue flowers. "I am so sorry, Jason." Felling a familiar burning in her eyes, she raised them to the sky in an attempt to stop any tears from falling. Lying to herself, Lavender told herself, she didn't know why she was apologising. They had never been close, in fact Lavender doubted he had know who she was. The lie wasn't a convincing one. Lavender knew why the urge to apologize had overcome her. FP Jones was the reason behind her sorrys. He may not have pulled the trigger on Jason, but he had been complicit. And Lavender wasn't sure she could ever forgive him for that.

Sunnyside Trailer Park, Southside, Riverdale

Jughead Jones was caught in a pit of torment and confusion. Tormented by his father's crimes, his own unsteady future and the collective scorn of Riverdale concentrated on him, and confused by the unfamiliar bags suddenly standing in his father's trailer. Hearing a noise, Jughead whipped his body around to look at the door. Feeling his jaw fall to the floor, he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Well, who he was seeing. Leaning against the doorframe was his long-lost twin, with snow melting in her hair, looking like she had never left. "Close your mouth Jug, you won't be catching any burgers that way," delivered Lavender with a smile. Unable to stop himself, Jughead threw himself at the girl. Wrapping her in a tight hug, Jughead saw, for the first time in a long while, a light at the end of the tunnel. "Alright, I am freezing my butt off, let me come inside." Jughead reluctantly released her, and closed the door. The was a moment of awkward silence. "You know, I have never actually been here before." Lavender offered with a small laugh. Jughead responded by squinting at her like he was studying her. Thinking he didn't know what she had meant, Lavender added, "In the trailer I mean. I've never been inside the trailer before." Jughead simply continued to squint at her. The girl threw herself on the couch with a deep sigh.

Shaking his head, Jughead cemented his sister with a stern look. "I am happy to see you, but what the hell are you doing here?" Looking her brother in the eyes Lavender said, "Ghost Club, Jughead." It was like a weight had been lifted of off Jughead's shoulders at the mention of Ghost Club, and for the second time that day Jughead hugged his twin.

"So uhh, where am I sleeping?" came a very muffled question, instigating a loud laugh.

Riverdale Police Station

As a child you are taught to trust the police. You are taught that they are the good guys locking away the bad. Serving and protecting, but Lavender wasn't feeling very protected at the moment. Sitting on an uncomfortable chair, her back to the wall and various police officers surrounding her. Sheriff Keller would send her doubtful looks now and then, while talking to her brother. "Maybe it's the hair, or the nose piercing. He doesn't recognize me," she realized. Sheriff Keller moved away, throwing a final look towards Lavender. "I see, Keller is a incompetent as ever," Lavender snidely remarked, when Jughead returned to her. Pointing his finger at her in a scolding manner, Jughead looked at his sister with amusement. However his previous amusement quickly melted away when he said, "We have fifteen minutes," and started making his way towards the holding cells. Lavender tried, and failed, to calm her nerves before following her taller twin.

The holding cell of the Riverdale Police station was nothing to brag about. A simple room with four grey concrete walls, split in two by a row of steel bars. One half of the room was completely empty save a chair, the other half held a bed and something imitating a bathroom. There was no hesitation in Jughead's stride as he walked towards the bars, but Lavender, struck by the sight of her incarcerated father, found herself stuck in the doorway. Seeing his son, FP immediately raised his body to a seated position, reclining slightly on the bed. Jughead noticed his sister hadn't followed him into the room, and shot a concerned look her way. Noticing his son's look, FP followed his line of sight. "Lavender!?" He exclaimed pushing himself into an upright position, "what the hell are you doing here?" Waking up from her state of shock, Lavender mumbled a disappointed, "I could ask you the same thing," and walked over to stand by her brother. A fleeting look of shame crossed FP's features. One Lavender didn't miss.

Jughead carefully regarded his family. A blind man would have been able to see the tension between them, but Jughead knew that now was not the moment to find out what was going on between them. There were more important things that needed to be addressed. Clearing his throat, catching Lavender and FP's attention, Jughead began. "Sheriff Keller tells me you still haven't given any names. He is hoping I can convince you otherwise." Lavender gave a small scoff. "Leave it to Keller to make a teenager his job, " she thought.

"I am sweating it out, Jug. The only conclusion I've come to is that both options suck," FP stated. It wasn't what either kid had wanted to hear. Although both knew and understood the meaning of Serpent loyalty, it didn't mean they liked it. "I wanted to let you know that I'm…" Jughead began but stopped himself before finishing his train of thought, looking at the floor in concentration considering his next words. Making his mind up, Jughead gave his sister a determined look. "We're gonna be okay," He said, not breaking eye contact with Lavender. She rewarded him with a small reassuring smile. FP gave a slight nod in response.

"Jughead's met the foster care family that's taking him in," Lavender blurted. Jughead snorted, "yeah, they're nice," giving his sister and father an amused smile. FP casually left his seat on the bed in favour of leaning against the bars so as to be closer to his children. "What about Southside high," he asked directing his question at Jughead, but looking at Lavender out the corner of his eye. Jughead chose not to notice, but Lavender was aware of FP analyzing her reaction. Keeping her composure, she kept her own gaze on Jughead as he said, "It's a high school. It's got the jocks and the burnouts, the nerds and the like."

"yeah, and it's criminals," Lavender thought. "We'll survive," Jughead insisted, no doubt in his voice. Leaning his whole body on the bars the older man gave a short laugh and smiled, "If you guys stick together and remember the Ghost Club rules, you just might."

At the mention of Ghost Club, both teens turned their attention to their father. Ghost Club had originally been FP's idea. Jughead and Lavender had been growing out of playing with their younger sister. They had become convinced, that they were too old for silly childsplay, despite only being eleven years old. Jellybean, too young to understand the sudden change in her siblings' behaviour, had been hurt in the process. So utilizing every trick in the How-to-Dad handbook, his children were convinced existed, FP created Ghost Club. Meetings were held every saturday in the garden shed, and only Jones' were invited. Gladys had been horrified, when she found out. Afraid that her husband was unknowingly implementing serpent-like values into their children. Ghost Club was the beginning of the end for the couple, but for their children it became the glue that would keep them together forever, no matter what.

FP's smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he became the most serious, his kids had ever seen him. "Kids listen to me, I'm more innocent than I am guilty," His voice filled with emotion, and it was obvious that was he was about to say wasn't easy. "But I've done some stupid things. Bad things and come what way, I'll have to answer for my part in it." Looking for confirmation in Jughead and Lavender's teary eyes, he asked, "Do you understand?" Jughead with a deep frown, unable to look at his family, turned his head away and started looking at the door. Lavender started chewing on her bottom lip. Giving up on getting any form of confirmation from them, FP continued his speech. "I don't know what's gonna happen when this goes to trial, but you need to be there for your mom, for Jellybean. They might not you this second..." Lavender interrupter her father, "Mom and Jellybean are doing fine," she said with a stern voice and looked him in the eyes for the first time in months. Shame returned to FP's eyes. "I'll do my best," said Jughead in an attempt to break his sister hard gaze. Looking at Jughead with tears and a little bit of pride in his eyes, he reached his hand out to Jughead and placed it on the side of his head. "Not a doubt in my mind. Go on." It was a clear goodbye, and the siblings began to leave the room.

Jughead was the first to leave, and before Lavender left the room she heard her dad say her name. Standing with her back to him he said, "Are you sure you wanna be here? I might not know everything that went down, but I do know you and Sweet Pea didn't exactly leave things on good terms," at the mention of Sweet Pea, Lavender turned around shocked. FP didn't allow his daughter a single word before continuing, concern evident in his voice, "be careful. That boy has only become angrier and more violent in your absence. Now I'm not gonna pretend that you're gonna let me have any say in what you do," his voice grew heavier with worry, " but please be careful." Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lavender felt a tear roll down her cheek. Choosing to ignore her father's comment about her ex, she looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I'll watch out for Jug. Just worry about yourself," before turning around and marching out of the room, leaving her father to wallow in his own misery.

Riverdale

Leaving their father and the police station behind, both teenagers remained silent. They were both too preoccupied by their own thoughts, that not a single word was exchanged between them. All of the anger and hurt Lavender had felt while in the police station faded away and was replaced with a soul crushing sadness. She was stuck on how tired her father had looked. Not the kind of tired that followed a long workday and would be gones the next day, but the kind of tired that never quite left. The kind that remained in you no matter what. Like an afterimage FP's face haunted Lavender's eyes. She didn't realise they had reached Pop's until Jughead grabbed her arm. "You wanna come in with me? Archie is gonna be there, and Betty and Veronica. I mean, I know you don't know Veronica, and that you and Betty weren't exactly friends," Jughead was rambling. "But I know…" He stopped himself when he saw Lavender chewing on her bottom lip. "Or not," he finished crossing his arms. "No, I am just gonna go home. I am tired plus I still haven't unpacked." Jughead nodded looking a little disappointed. Standing on her toes, Lavender pulled him into a hug, "but thanks for the offer," and quickly let him go. Jughead ruffled Lavender's hair and made way for the diner. Lavender continued walking till she reached the trailer.

Jones Trailer, Sunnydale Trailer Park, Southside

Lavender hadn't been lying, when she told Jughead, she had never been inside the trailer before. The trailer had been purchased by FP, after Gladys kicked him out. At the time Lavender was too ashamed of her home situation, and terrified that her River Vixen friends might find out. She had done everything in her power to convince everyone that her life was flawless, when really it was slowly crumbling. In other words, upon entering high school Lavender became a stereotypic Northsider. And she had been angry. In her mind, FP had been the one to tear their family apart. Something she still felt, although to a lesser degree, but Lavender knew, it was only because she now understood that a relationship was a two-person job. Unlike her siblings, Lavender had never been ignorant to the main reason behind their parents' broken marriage.

While sneaking out one evening to go to a party at Thornhill, Lavender had overheard her parents fighting about FP's termination from Andrews Construction. Her mother had been sobbing and FP had been drunk. He had been caught stealing from his best friend. As Lavender had looked through the crack in the door, FP's intoxicated eyes had connected with his daughter's tear filled ones. They had never talked about about it, or mentioned it to anyone. That was the moment Lavender began drifting away from both her parents.

Although the closets in the trailer's only bedroom already held Jughead and FP's clothes, Lavender managed to find room for her own. She had gone into autopilot the second she entered the trailer. Jughead had offered her the bedroom, insisting he would sleep on the fold-out couch. Confirming that he would not be staying with the foster care family, and Lavender, never one to turn down a good deal, accepted the offer. Reaching into her bag for the last article of clothing, her hands came into contact with an old flannel. Looking at it she didn't recognize it at first glance, nor did she remember packing it. Which wasn't that weird, she had packed her things in a hurry back in Toledo.

The flannel was too big for her small frame. The plaid was different shades of blue with a bit a green. Not knowing why, Lavender clutched it tight and raised it to her face. One breath and she instantly knew where it was from. It should have been impossible, but somehow the shirt still smelled faintly of it's original owner. It was one of Sweet Pea's flannels. The reason she hadn't remember packing it, was because she hadn't. The flannel had remained in the bag, out of sight and out of mind, after she had been forced to move to Toledo, and now Lavender felt the impact of old emotions rushing to the surface. It's amazing how much a familiar smell can mess you up.

 _Riverdale Quarry, Southside, First Day of Summer Vacation_

 _Lavender had no idea what she was doing. Why the hell was she sneaking out to a party, without her friends, to see some guy she had only met once. "Oh who am I kidding! I know why perfectly well," she mumbled to herself. The text had been a surprise. He had claimed, that a very forward red-head had stalked up to him and given him Lavender's number without a word. He had also said, that Lavender had been all he could think about. And Lavender, like the novice she was, had fallen for every word. Thus she now found herself surrounded by people she had never met before, sticking out like a sore thumb wearing a flower patterned sundress in a sea of leather, plaid and tight crop tops. The party was a mix of students from Southside High. Jocks and nerds, and to Lavender's surprise and horror, Serpents and Ghoulies. Feeling awkward and out of place she though, "he's not here. This was all a joke." with tears in her eyes she made to leave, until she felt an arm around her shoulders. It wasn't him, it was some Ghoulie high as a kite. Leering down the front of her dress her offered her a beer. Lavender knew accepting it would be a fatal mistake on her part. But she didn't know how to turn him down without putting herself at risk._

" _She doesn't like beer," came a sudden harsh voice from behind them. Whipping around Lavender felt her heart lift. Sweet Pea was staring down the Ghoulie, looking ready to kill. Something that completely passed Lavender's radar, all she saw was her shining knight. "Is that so," the Ghoulie said challenging Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea moved closer and straightened his back, making himself taller and exposing the tattoo on his neck. "Yeah, so why don't you fucking go back to sniffing your bath salts before I'm forced to get mean." Thankfully Sweet Pea's size and tattoo, had made the Ghoulie realize what was best for him. Trying to save face he turned to Lavender and said, "maybe next time sweetums," before removing his arm and leaving. Unable to come up with anything better Lavender looked up at Sweet Pea through her eyelashes and said a soft, "hey," while giving him her sweetest smile. The one she had spend copious amount of time in front of the mirror practicing. Licking his lips, he looked at her with mischievous eyes, and a smirk fit for a predator about to catch his prey. It brought Lavender's blood to a boil._

Lavender was ripped from the memory by the front door smacking. Jughead was home, and by the sound of the second voice he wasn't alone. Betty Cooper was with him. Well, that was interesting, and Lavender would no doubt have gone to explore, if it hadn't been for the memory. Letting the two have their privacy, Lavender picked up her phone and earphones and went into Spotify. One quick tap and the sound of soft rock filled her ears, shutting out all other noise. The memory had left Lavender with an overflowing urge to cry. That night, Lavender and Sweet Pea had talked, gotten to know each other as much as two people can while surrounded by others. One of his friends had accidentally spilled a drink on Lavender's dress, and Sweet Pea had without a second thought removed his flannel and wrapped it around Lavender. He had left her with a scorching kiss and a mess of hickeys on her collarbone at the end of the night.

Clutching the flannel harder, Lavender laid on the bed and allowed the tears to fall, finally mourning their relationship after keeping everything down for months.

Feeling as though she had barely slept, Lavender was shaken awake by a panic-stricken Jughead, telling her they needed to go to the hospital immediately. Fred Andrews had been shot.

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Ghost Club Moodboard: fancymuffins-and-wannabecakes . Tumblr post/167782296507/oc-moodboard-ghost-club-for-the-3rd-chapter-of-my

Other Moodboards: fancymuffins-and-wannabecakes. Tumblr tagged/paper love

and remember songs are added to the playlist as the story progresses :)


	5. And So It Begins Part One

Might containe use of profanity

Check out my profile for links regarding character moodboards/aesthetics and the playlist

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Jones Trailer, Sunnydale Trailer Park

It was a slow morning. The trailer was silent, save the quick tapping of computer keys. With the mystery of Jason Blossom's murder solved, Jughead was engulfed in the crafting of a final epilogue for the tragedy that had befallen Riverdale's most revered family. Jughead's focus was broken by the sudden ringing of his phone. Jughead's initial irritation at being disturbed amid his work, quickly evaporated when he saw Betty's name lighting up the screen of his phone. With a smile he picked up the phone and said, "Hey Betty," but his happiness had come and gone in a flash. Stumbling towards the trailer door Jughead managed to stop himself mid-step, and turning ninety degrees he moved head first into the bedroom. Bursting into the small bedroom he immediately began shaking his sleeping sister. "Lavender wake up! Lavender!" He shouted, startling the girl in question awake. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she mumbled, "Someone better be dead Jug," while attempting to bury herself further beneath the blankets, despite Jughead's best efforts to get her up. It wasn't until Jughead went silent and stopped shaking her, that Lavender looked at him. The sheer look of panic edged onto his face, made Lavender sit up. "Holy shit Jug, who died?" She asked all evidence of sleep gone from her voice. "Archie's dad has been shot," he responded, every word coated in panic. Lavender couldn't breath. Paralyzed by her own panic and disbelief, she barely heard Jughead telling her to get dressed. They were going to the hospital immediately. After a short staring contest Lavender finally broke from her state of reverie. "Um yeah," swiping her hair out of her face, "You go! I'll meet you there as soon as I'm dressed," she said, her voice shaking. When Jughead didn't move, Lavender looked him the eyes and took a soft hold of his shoulders. "Go, Archie needs you! I'll take Dad's truck," and without another word the younger twin hurried to his best friend's side.

It wasn't until she heard the front door slam shut, that Lavender moved. Barely present in her own body, she grabbed the nearest pair of torn jeans and an old wooly sweater. Quickly brushing her hair and teeth, Lavender was out the door. Her appearance the least of her concern.

Riverdale Hospital

The drive had been surreal. As if on auto-pilot Lavender drove through the sleeping town, aware of nothing but the road and the feeling like she was trapped in a bad CW drama. The feeling multiplied the moment Lavender parked her father's old truck in the hospital parking lot. Staring up at the grey building Lavender willed her body and mind out of limbo. Wiping a few escaped tears off her cheeks, she set into motion and exited the car making her way to the hospital entrance with hurried steps.

Lavender had never liked Riverdale Hospital. There was a certain horror- movie-esque air about the place. With it's lowly lit halls and cold sterile air, she had always thought it was begging to be haunted. However in that moment all Lavender could focus on was the red-haired boy sitting alone at the end of the hallway, covered in his father's blood, desperately clutching his phone and crying. The magnitude of the current situation finally hit her and with a shaking voice she called out to him. "Archie!" Hearing his name, Archie's head flew up. For a second he had thought, he was hearing ghosts, and he didn't realize that the familiar girl at the end of the hall was real until he felt himself safely locked in her embrace.

 _In the early days of Lavender and Archie's acquaintanceship, Jughead had always been the catalyst forcing them together, but new discoveries and experiences, mainly the discovery of the opposite sex, during their freshman year of high school planted a small seed of genuine care between the Bulldog and the now former River Vixen. Archie's crush on his newest female friend had been hard to miss, and at first Lavender hadn't minded it one bit. Not because she reciprocated his feelings, but because of the simple fact that it was driving Betty Cooper nuts. For the first time Lavender had something Betty did not. Not to mention Betty's torment was earning Lavender brownie points with Cheryl Blossom. However leading Archie on for the sake of popularity didn't sit well with Lavender. Archie was sweet and sincere, and she quickly began to feel like a monster. Eventually Archie realised, that he and his best friend's sister would never become a great romance, but thankfully Fred and Mary Andrews had raised their son right, and Archie accepted Lavender's offer of eternal friendship without much fuss._

Standing on the tip of her toes Lavender held her friend as close as possible, letting him cry as much as he needed onto her shoulder. Running her hand through his hair, a move she had previously witnessed Mrs. Andrews use to comfort the boy, she said, "Archie, I am so so sorry." Archie loosened his grip on the smaller teenager, but kept her within his grasp. Neither of the teenagers knew quite what to say, because on one hand this was the first time in months they were in the same space and the urge to catch up was bubbling to the surface, and on the other hand one of them might be losing a parent. Lavender however had learned that beating around the bush was rarely the better option and opted for the tougher subject. "So what's the latest?" she asked, running her thumbs under his red-rimmed eyes erasing the physical proof of his tears. Sniffing he answered, "Dad is still in surgery and, uhm," Archie shook his head a little to gather his jumbled thoughts and rubbed his eye, "I just got off the phone with my mom. She is on her way now." Lavender nodded her head and carefully considered Archie's words, knowing he was going to hate what she was about to say. Lavender looked him in the eyes, "all we can do now is wait," and Archie responded by pulling a face of disdain. Lavender quickly added, "so let's go to waiting room where Jughead's naturally sunny personality and can-do attitude will make the waiting seem like no time at all," while lightly rubbing his upper arms. Lavender's joking description of her brother did it's job. It pacified the redhead and even brought a barely there, but genuine, smile to his face. With their hands locked together, the two made their way through the dreary hospital halls towards the waiting room.

 _To Be Continued..._


	6. Part Two: And So It Begins

Might containe profanity

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* * *

The Waiting Room, Riverdale Hospital

Archie's return caught the attention of everyone waiting for him, but the girl walking in with him kept it. As Jughead went to greet the two, Veronica Lodge inched closer to her blonde friend.

Slightly turning her head towards Betty, without removing her dark eyes from the unfamiliar teenager Veronica whispered, "who is that?" However Veronica's inquiry was left hanging in the stale hospital air, prompting her to tear her eyes away and focus on her friend.

Betty Cooper was looking at Lavender and Archie with a deep frown etched into her face, clearly displeased. Giving Betty a small nudge and gaining her attention, Veronica repeated her question even more confused than before. "That's Lavender, Juggie's twin," came Betty's curt response. Veronica's eyebrows shot up, " _that_ is Jughead's sister?" She whispered in shock. Surprised by the lack of family resemblance Veronica surveyed Lavender. The only eye catching similarity between the twins was their dark and wavy hair. The girl was shorter than her male counterpart with lighter eyes and a shorter nose, the only other thing they seemed to share was their facial expression which was, at present, identical looks of worry. The more Veronica looked at Lavender, the more her confusion grew. Archie had described her as being a bit shy, with an unmatched ability to see the best in people. Archie's words and tone in which they were presented, with occasional input from jughead, had made her seem practically perfect. It hadn't sat well with Veronica when she first heard it, and now seeing Lavender for the first time with her own eyes, and not through the words of her boyfriend, a small seed of insecurity began growing in the pit of her stomach. Letting her eyes glide over the stranger one last time, from her pierced nose to the blue tips of her hair and the uneasy way she carried herself, like she knew something terrible was going to happen but not when or where, Veronica couldn't for the life of her recognize the Lavender she had heard about in the one standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Archie and Jughead.

The center of everyone's attention finally broke up and joined Betty and Veronica.

Archie seated himself opposite Veronica with Jughead and Lavender by his side. "This is Ronnie," he said, but quickly correcting himself, "I mean Veronica Lodge," and gestured to the dark haired latina with a small infatuated smile. "My girlfriend," he quickly added. Lavender was pleasantly surprised. "This girl is way out of Archie's league," she thought and greeted Veronica with a genuine smile. Lavender and Betty didn't utter a single word nor look at each other. The icy air between the two almost had Veronica regretting not wearing her coat. Jughead ignored it the best he could, and Archie didn't notice.

The hurried arrival of Sheriff Keller, however made quick work of dissipating the sudden awkward mood amongst the small group of teenagers, making Archie and his companions rise with urgency from their uncomfortable chairs. Removing his hat Sheriff Keller asked solemnly, "how is your dad doing?" Before Archie had a chance to respond, Betty answered, "He is still in surgery," tightening her arms around herself. Keller ignored Betty. His attention was on Archie, and Archie alone. "I know this is a hell of a time for ya, but perhaps we can go somewhere and talk about what happened?" Keller purposed. Jughead, immediately standing alert, asked if it would be cool for him to tag along. As the only one in the group, Lavender had remained seated slouching slightly, but her brother's suggestion made her sit up proper. Jughead was a good friend, but the barely concealed urgency in his voice, made Lavender question whether her brother was really joining their friend and the Sheriff to supply emotional support, or if he had a different and more personal agenda going through that curious mind of his.

Keller started forming a hesitant answer before Archie interrupted him mid sentence with a firm, "Yeah that would be great Jug," relief evident in his voice. At the entrance of the waiting room Jughead quickly turned his head to look at his sister. With her head tilted, Lavender raised an inquisitive eyebrow his way. Her message was clear. She had no intention of going with them and Jughead had an interrogation coming his way.

Following Archie and Jughead's departure, the small group dissolved and Lavender was left sitting by herself. Betty and Veronica had moved to seats further back, but despite the new distance Lavender was still able to hear every bit of their conversation whether she wanted to or not, reminding her once again of her general dislike of hospitals. They were all stale air and false privacy. Veronica threw herself onto the chair next to Betty and asked with a whisper, "what the hell was that?" Betty buried her face in her hands wishing she could just vanish. Feigning ignorance Betty asked, "what was what?" Her voice slightly muffled. Knowing she was about to be the topic of their discussion, Lavender began nervously picking at the hole in her jeans. All willpower not to eavesdrop thrown out of the window. "Uhm! The frozen tundra between you and your boyfriend's sister," Veronica said in outrage, making Betty sigh in frustration. "We've just never gotten along. I guess, we've always been really competitive with one another." Betty threw a hasty look over her shoulders to check if Lavender was listening. It didn't seem like she was, so Betty returned to her story, her voice adopting a slight edge as she continued, "it certainly didn't help that Lavender was one of Cheryl's brainless minions." Betty stopped for a moment. Taking in Veronica's reaction, she considered whether or not to tell her friend about the time Archie had come to Betty seeking advice on how to deal with a crush. Thinking he had been speaking of her, Betty had bashfully urged him to simply confess his feelings, remarking that the mystery girl no doubt felt the same. Betty's dreams however were quickly crushed by the look in Archie's eyes when Lavender proudly came by the Andrew's residence to show off her River Vixens uniform. The confusion marring Veronica's features made Betty leave out that particular part of their history, instead she finished with, "not to mention she pretty much spend all of freshman year calling me Betsy." Suddenly Betty found herself unable to keep eye contact with her best friend. Betty would never admit it, but her former jealousy of Lavender had reared its ugly head, when she had stroled back into their lives while holding Archie's hand.

To say Veronica Lodge was confused would have been an understatement. The picture Betty had painted didn't stand in accord with Archie and Jughead's mural. A brainless Cheryl Blossom minion? She hadn't seemed the type, but Veronica knew all too well how much new friends and surroundings could change a person. After all, wasn't the former mean girl socialite herself proof of that change? Veronica also knew, that this wasn't a puzzle she would be able to solve in just one afternoon, but the New Yorker turned Riverdale Northsider was a fixer by nature, and she wasn't about to let this issue go.

Lavender had stopped fiddling with her torned jeans the moment Betty had called her brainless. It had hurt. Not because it came from Betty's mouth. Lavender had honestly been expecting the blonde to be more nasty than she had been, to really have a go at her. No it had hurt because it was true. Lavender had been a brainless follower, a fact she didn't like thinking about. However being confronted with an uncomfortable truth hadn't distracted Lavender so much, that she hadn't noticed Betty avoiding any mention of the whole Archie debacle that had truly set fire to Betty's animosity towards Lavender. "Why would Betty keep that a secret though? Does Veronica not know about Betty's childhood crush?," Lavender pondered. She felt a sudden heaviness in the pit of her stomach. Did Betty still have feelings for Archie, while dating Jug? If that was the case, Lavender decided, she would be first in line to rip off that stupid high ponytail.

Veronica's voice derailed Lavender from the direction her thoughts were leading her, or more specifically the topic was what recaptured her. " There are certain things no one does better than Veronica Lodge," She said with an air of confidence. "Makeovers, party planning, dance offs," She began listing while Betty nodded her head in agreement, "dropping vintage bon mots as if they were bonbons." Veronica inhaled and slowly began to let go of her ego, "conversely there are things I am not good at. Grief, bedside vigils, comforting boyfriends." The last bit of Veronica's confession was so coated in shame, that Lavender felt the strings in her heart being tugged at. Lavender could relate all too well, to the helplessness and shame that came with not knowing how to relate to and help a boyfriend. Betty placed her hand on top of Veronica's, "That is the old Veronica talking," she offered in an attempt to comfort and reassure her insecure friend, but all it earned her was a small eye roll from Veronica. "The old Veronica would have bolted by now, but new Veronica doesn't want to let Archie down." Veronica's face mirrored her tone of insecurity and doubt. Betty squeezed her hand, "and you won't!" She said brimming with faith. Lavender didn't hear Veronica's responds, her attention having been swept away by Archie and her brother.

Questions were flying amok in Lavender's head at a hundred miles a second as she made her way to the two boys. "The serpents they had working on their crew." The end of Archie's sentence cleared Lavender's mind and all plans of interrogating Jughead were forgotten. "What are you talking about?" Her question made both boys turn their attention onto her. "What about the serpents?" she asked the ginger boy. Archie shot Jughead a pleating look, but Jughead was looking at his sister like a deer caught in headlights. Lavender placed her hand on Archie cheek, turning his head to look at her instead of her brother. Nailing him with a hard look she said, "out with it red." Archie took a deep breath and exhaled. He clearly did not want to say what he was about to. "My dad had some serpents working for him, but they were fired recently." Lavender's hand returned to her side, and Archie continued talking, addressing both twins. "I know your dad vouches for them, but what if one of them was pissed off enough to do something?" Taking a step back Lavender shook her head and crossed her arms. "You honestly think a serpent shot your dad!?" she asked distressed. Archie didn't answer her and instead looked at her like a kicked puppy. Jughead placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Let me see what I can find," he said. "Always the peacemaker," Lavender thought, while the two boys hugged.

While watching Jughead leave the room, his words began to sink in. Lavender realised, her brother had meant he was going to ask a serpent if they had anything to do with Fred's assault, and she set after him like her ass was on fire.

The Front Entrance, Riverdale Hospital

"Do not call him!"

Jughead looked up from his phone to see his sister marching towards him, surprise written all over his face. He had expected her to stay with Archie. When Lavender finally reached him, he said, "I am not calling dad," and returned to concentrating on his phone. A swift smack to the back of his head however made him snap back to the girl next to him. "I am talking about Tall Boy, dummy," she said. Jughead looked at his sister suspiciously, "how do you know who Tall Boy is?" he asked her. However Lavender's resolve didn't waver one bit and stepping closer she looked him in the eyes, "don't call him. It'll only end bad." Lavender was pleating, practically begging. Breaking eye contact Jughead looked at his phone again, "It's too late," he said. Taking a step back Lavender started picking at the hem of her sweater. Jughead noticed, knowing she had a bad habit of messing with her clothes whenever something was bothering or distressing her. Grabbing her hands to stop her anxious motions, he resumed eye contact and tried to give her a convincingly reassuring look. "It's gonna be ok," he said, "I am meeting him by the back entrance. No one is going to notice me talking to a serpent." His concern was justified but mistaken. Lavender's nerves had nothing to do with the possible destruction of whatever was left of Jughead's reputation. "But he doesn't know that," she reminded herself. "Just be careful," she pleaded, "I am gonna go back, make sure Archie is okay." Jughead gave a nod and squeezed her hands before making his way to the back of the building. Lavender watched him for a bit, before slowly walking back to the waiting room.

Halfway there she bumped into Archie and Veronica. "Are you going home?" she asked Archie. "Yeah, Veronica convinced to go home and shower," he said and gave Veronica a small smile. Lavender smiled at them and nodded. Looking at Veronica, Lavender was reminded of her previous statement, and decided to help the girl who despite the circumstances was able to make Archie smile. With her eyes on the girl in question Lavender said, "Archie, I am gonna need to talk with your girlfriend for a sec. She'll meet you outside," and before he managed to utter a single confused syllable Lavender had seized Veronica by the hand and continued walking towards the waiting room, dragging a confused Veronica Lodge behind her.

Lavender stopped walking before they reached the waiting room, letting go of Veronica she shot her a worried look. "Okay so I might be entering territory I shouldn't be in because I don't know how long you and Archie have been together but I overheard you talking about your fear of not knowing how to comfort him. You seem really nice, and I've known Archie forever so I am gonna give a small bit of advice to help you. It is safe to say that Archie is scared, maybe a little lost and when he gets scared he tends to not think and lash out," Lavender said quickly. Veronica starred at the other girl for a couple of seconds mulling over what she had said. "So I give him some space?" Veronica carefully asked. "No! Heavens no! Archie and space are not a good combo. Never have been. Dumb shit goes down when that boy is given space. What you do is stand your ground. When he tries to push you away, you have to call him out on it. He can be pretty gullible at times, but he isn't always an idiot, and in the end he will thank you for it," Lavender responded and added, "plus you will gain some serious girlfriend points," in an attempt to lighten the mood. Veronica looked at Lavender, making the other teen squirm slightly under her piercing gaze, before deciding her advice was sound. Veronica visibly relaxed and whispered, "thank you. I have no idea what I am doing." Lavender shook her head and exhaled a small laugh, "Well, you've been doing pretty well so far, just remember no space for Archie, and speaking of he must be going out of his mind right now, waiting for you." With one final thank you, Veronica turned and hurried back to her boyfriend.

The Waiting Room, Riverdale Hospital

Betty was trying her hardest to shut out Kevin's lecture. One moment they were gushing about Jughead, but of course the moment had been ruined by her mention of the Southside Serpents. With her eyes lowered, unable to look at her best friend, the blonde was clutching her paper cup of warm coffee mentally reprimanding herself for mentioning them in the first place, because of course Kevin would think any romantic ties to a possible serpent was a bad idea. The dark haired boy had learned that lesson the hard way. Bored with her coffee cup, Betty shifted her eyes to the waiting room entrance. Riverdale High's best and brightest had been arriving in groups for the past fifteen minutes filling the room with concerned and overactive teenagers. Spotting Lavender, Betty exhaled an irritated sigh, "Speaking of weird," she said and indicated at the front of the room, "look who is back." Kevin's head turned away from Betty and his eyes widened. "Oh. My. God!" he said carefully announciating each word. "Is that Lavender?" he whispered looking at Betty in shock, "When did she get back?" Betty shrugged, indicating she didn't know. "You know, I heard she moved away because she got pregnant," Kevin continued like he was discussing a conspiracy theory. Betty shot her friend an incredulous look followed by a sharp, "what?!" "Well, you gotta admit it's weird that their mother took only one twin with her and not both, although," Kevin looked at Lavender tilting his head slightly studying her closely, "she doesn't look like someone who has given birth," he said with slight disappointment in his voice. Betty continued to look at Kevin with disbelieve while shaking her head a little. "Where in the world did you hear a rumour like that?" she asked. Kevin looked at Betty again, "apparently Gina Mendoza saw Lavender with some guy on several occasions over the summer," Betty's face made a grimase of doubt, "I know I know, I didn't believe it at first either, but Lavender practically avoided everyone from school over the summer, even other vixens, and you know Lavender was a die hard vixen," but despite Kevin's effords Betty still seem convinced, but when she looked at Kevin, he looked like the cat that got the cream. "According to Gina, they seemed all kinds of hush hush, like they didn't want anyone to know about them, so I am thinking, maybe he was older or something, because Gina swore she had never seen him before."

Betty's eyes found Lavender. The girl was occupying a chair by the wall. Staring blankly into nothing and messing with her sweater, something was clearly bothering her. Mulling over Kevin's conspiracy theory, Betty continued to stare, willing Lavender's secrets to reveal themselves, but nothing happened. The two girls had never been friends, but that didn't mean Betty didn't know her. Something about being back in Riverdale was putting her rival on edge, and it wasn't Fred Andrew's current predicament.

When Lavender left Toledo, all she had thought about was Jughead, like the idiot she was. Now sitting in a hospital waiting room, Jughead was still on her mind but this time he was accompanied by her father's second-in-command, and if she was being honest with herself, which she wasn't, several other members of her father's gang was fighting their way out of her subconscious. Back in Toledo thoughts of the serpents finding out she was back hadn't even crossed her mind. Not once. But now it was all she could think about. Of course they would eventually find out, she would after all be going to school with them. Had Lavender been alone, and not surrounded by former classmates, she would have hit herself for her own short-sightedness. What was she going to do? What would _They_ do? Should she tell Jughead everything? Confess her sins and cross her fingers hoping for the best? Should she tell him anything at all? The feeling of being watched halted Lavender's momentary agony. She gave the room a quick once over and came face to face with Alice Cooper's deathly stare. "Great, this is the last thing I need," the teen mumbled under her breath.

"Am I hallucinating or has Riverdale's own little flower returned to us?" Lavender's head whipped to the right. Seated next to her was Reggie Mantle, and Lavender could honestly say, she had never been happier to see him. Smiling like the Cheshire Cat his eyes moved from Lavender to Mrs. Cooper a couple of times, "am I interrupting something?," he asked and laughed a little. "No, in fact you might have saved me," she said and shook her head. Lavender had always been cold towards Reggie due to him bullying her brother, but that had never dissuaded the bulldog, who was a shameless flirt, from trying his luck with his favourite punching bag's sister. Checking her out Reggie bit his lip and smiled, "you look good. I am digging your new look," and pointed at her hair, "I didn't take you for a piercing kind of girl" he continued and winked at her. Lavender gave a strained smile, instantly regretting her previous happiness. Reggie's terrible attempt at flirting had kept Lavender too distracted to notice the return of not only Veronica but also her brother, until Jughead walked past, grabbed her hand ripping her from her seat and dragged her away with a short, "Get lost Mantle."

All of Lavender's attempts to subtly get information about Jughead's meeting with Tall Boy had been shot down, and with one final look from her twin, she decided to leave the matter. For now. He obviously didn't want to talk about it in front of Veronica, not that Lavender could blame him. Had she not been desperate, she would have waited to ask him about it till they were alone and not in an overcrowded room. Veronica's arrival brought new of Archie, and his current whereabouts, sparking concern and disbelieve in the three people who had known him longest. "Wait! Archie is where?," Betty exclaimed. "At the sheriff's station doing a line up. He asked me to come here and be with Fred until he gets back" Veronica answered her best friend as if she was stating the three states of water. It didn't seem like Betty had heard a single word of Veronica's, as she turned to her boyfriend and suggested they go down to the station. Reluctantly Lavender found herself mentally agreeing with the blonde. "Actually can you guys do me a huge favour," Veronica asked with a sense of urgency, "Mr Andrew's wallet is missing. We are thinking it might be at Pop's." Veronica started nervously wringing her hands. "That or the guy who shot Fred might have it," Lavender added catching Jughead's attention. The overwhelming urge to contradict Lavender took over Betty. "Well, if it's just some rando robbing Pop's, he probably took the money and got rid of the wallet," Betty said condescendingly. Lavender's only responds was an annoyed frown. "Unless it wasn't just some rando. Unless it was premeditated… In some way." Jughead's words broke up Lavender and Betty's small staring contest. Even though Jughead had just disagreed with Betty, the usual joy Lavender would have felt never came. Was Jughead actually saying someone would in their right mind plan to shoot Fred Andrews? Veronica clearly felt the same way as Lavender, "is that an actual theory?" she responded shocked. Jughead slouched making himself smaller and lowered his voice, "not according to Sheriff Keller, but if you ask me, people have grudges, people have enemies." Lavender had to interrupt him, "What enemies could Fred possible have? He is one of the nicest people in this hellish town." Jughead pinned his twin with a desperate look, "think about where we live. Father's are killing their sons! It's entirely conceivable this was a hit." Was Lavender losing her mind or was Jughead's conspiracy theories starting to make sense. Betty broke the siblings out of their own world with a soft touch to Jughead's shoulder, "or, the wallet is just at Pop's so we'll check it out Vee," she said urgently, eager to distract from Jughead's statement. Betty began leading her boyfriend outside as Lavender turned to Veronica. "Do you want me stay here?", she asked remembering Veronica's previous insecurities, but Veronica's attention was on a dark haired woman leaving the room. "No, it's fine. You should go with Betty and Jughead," she said distracted.

Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe

Lavender had never seen the parking lot outside of Pop's so devoid of cars, but the empty parking lot was nothing compared to the inside of the diner. What met the three teenagers was something out of a horror movie. A large pool of blood held them prisoner by the door. Feeling a chill run through her, Lavender practically jumped two feet in the air when the door to the backroom was kicked open. The diner's owner appeared with a mop in hand. Pop spotted the three and stopped in his tracks, shocked to see anyone in his diner. "Sorry kids, we're closed today, there was," he began but was interrupted by Betty, "Pop's we heard about what happened. We just got back from the hospital," Pop began walking towards them eager to hear about Fred Andrew's fate, "to look for Mr. Andrews' wallet. It's missing," Betty said. "Is he.." Dread crossed Pop's kind features as he tried to ask about Fred. "He is out of surgery. We'll know more when he wakes up," Betty informed him in the same tone she had used to talk to Sheriff Keller. Pop's slowly started to mop the floor but continued speaking to them as he worked, "The police have already looked, but if you wanna double check," Pop interrupted his cleaning to point towards one of the booths, "he was in that booth there." Betty, not wasting a single second, moved to the booth and began surveying it and others near it. Jughead and Lavender on the other hand stayed by the pool of blood. "So, what happened Pop from your point of view?" Jughead asked as he crouched down to get a closer look at the red pool. As her brother moved towards the blood, Lavender slowly shuffled away moving closer to Pop as if afraid the pool would swallow her whole and the old man her only possible saviour. "I wish I knew. As soon as that gun turned off me, I," he started to explain. Lowering his gaze to the floor in shame Pop uttered a silent prayer, "God help me," before looking back at Jughead and continuing, "I dove. I don't even remember calling the police, but I guess I did." Lavender overcome with a need to comfort the man who, without asking a question, had given her burgers and a safe place when home became too much, moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, "You were in shock Pop," she said softly, "you did the best anyone could given the situation." Pop covered her hand with his and gave it a small squeeze before Lavender's hand fell back to her side, but his eyes were still on the floor in shame. "How much cash did the creep end up taking Pop?" Jughead asked standing alert. "Not a penny." The disgust in Pop's voice threw of both Jones kids. Never in their 16 years, had they ever heard such contempt in his, normally, calm voice. Too focused on Pop's tone, it took them a while to realise what he had actually said. Jughead was the first to come to his senses. Snapping his finger he said, "I knew it. What kind of thief shoots up a joint but doesn't take a single dollar bill?" Lavender wiggled her nose a bit and muttered, "not a very good one." "He wasn't a thief," Pop's told Lavender. Looking at Pop's it seemed he had retreated into his own little world as he began reliving past events, "Over the years this place has been robbed many times, someone even busted the windows during the riots. I've looked plenty of thucks in the eye, but this man, he had something else. Darker." Pop's words had reached Betty, who was now standing next to Jughead, both Betty and Lavender spellbound by the old man's monologue, "It was like the angel of death had come to Riverdale." The two teen girls were left breathless feeling like a heavy weight had suddenly been laid on their chest. Jughead's amused voice, sharp as a knife, cut through the thick gloom with expert strokes, "Jeez Pop! Lighten up," he said failing to suppress a smile, "You sound like the cranky old man in the Friday the 13th movies." Jughead delivered a bad impression of a crypt keeper making his sister laugh and his girlfriend roll her eyes pretending not to be amused. Betty whispered something to Jughead that Lavender didn't catch, but judging by the sad look on the Blonde's face, Fred's wallet remained at large. "Hey! You kids hungry," asked Pop suddenly with hope. "I am always hungry" replied the Jones twins enthusiastically in one voice. Betty shot them both a quizzical look.

The wait for their food presented Lavender with the perfect time to interrogate her brother. Shoving Betty to the side, she grabbed Jughead by the arm and started dragging him towards the door. Betty, confused, started following them out. Lavender stopped and shot her brother a stern look. "Emergency Ghost Club meeting," she said and turned to Betty, "members only." Jughead, giving in, suggested Betty go sit by the counter before following his sister out. Jaw clenched and nails digging into her palms, Betty found a spot by the counter.

Outside the diner Lavender stood leaning against the exterior of the building barely shielded from the rain. Taking his place by her side, Jughead watched as she ran a shaking hand through her hair. "You didn't have to be so rude to Betty, you know," he said trying to tread carefully. "Why are you so convinced a serpent shot Fred?" Lavender asked ignoring his reprimand. Jughead rubbed his eyes and stared at the rain, "I guess if they all turn out to be bad, then maybe dad going to jail will finally start making sense to me because that'll mean he is bad too," he said. Lavender leaned her head against his shoulder and held his hand, "no it won't," she responded. Squeezing Lavender's hand, Jughead turned to her and asked, "you dragged me out here because you wanna know what Tall Boy and I talked about, didn't you?" Lavender only raised her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly. Sighing deeply Jughead looked back at the rain, "Serpents don't wear masks," he mumbled earning him a confused look from his sister. "Tall boy said he'd ask around," Jughead clarified. "Were those the words he used," Lavender asked anxiously. "Why does it matter what words he used?" Jughead asked confused, "he said he'd knock some heads together." Pinning his sister with a investigative look Jughead asked, "what are you not telling me? Why are you obsessing over Tall Boy?" Lavender averted her eyes shaking her head, "I just don't trust him, is all," she answered. Jughead, more than ready to continue his interrogation was interrupted by a ringing from the diner entrance. Betty appeared from behind the door, "Our food is ready," she told Jughead. Lavender shot past her brother and his girlfriend before either of them could move.

Scoffing down food was almost second nature to Jughead and his sister, this became very clear to Betty as she watched the two swallow bite after bite, the two were so preoccupied by their food they barely registered the blonde's look of horror. Clearing her throat, Betty managed to capture her boyfriend's attention. Realising the girl had seen him eating like an animal, Jughead's eyes widened, "In times of crisis some people lose their appetite, but me! Mine increases tenfold," he joked to try and banish the sudden awkwardness in him, "I haven't eaten since last night," he added apologetically. Looking at the counter Betty took a deep breath, she didn't want to have this conversation in front of Lavender, but she knew she couldn't postpone it any longer. "I don't want to be thinking about this while Mr. Andrews is," stopping mid sentence Betty struggled to find the right words, "how he is, but last night when you put on the serpent jacket," Betty stopped again, but this time it was due to the sudden coughing coming from the other side of Jughead. Betty's revelation had made Lavender swallow a piece of her food wrong getting it stuck in her windpipe. Jughead gave his sister a couple of hard pats on the back. With her airpipe cleared the dark haired girl turned to her brother and yelped "WHAT!" "There were like ten biker dudes standing in front of me, and I didn't think I could say no," he offered as an explanation. "It fit you like a glove Jug. Like a second skin and the look on your face, you weren't acting for the serpents," Betty complained worried. Jughead was happy that looks were harmless, otherwise his twin would have set the back of his head on fire. "And now you're riding a motorcycle which you've never done!" Betty continued. Lavender looked at Betty and scrunched her nose, "actually he has. Did you think he learned how to ride that thing overnight?" Jughead stopped Betty from answering Lavender with a hand on her arm, "I am not a serpent," he punctuated, "that might be my dad's life, but it's not mine!" Jughead's attempt at pacifying Betty was useless as she continued to rile herself up. "What about your soon to be foster family? They are from the southside, maybe they have ties to the serpents." she said, her voice growing more and more panicked. "They could try to.." she continued but Lavender had heard enough. "Indoctrinate him?If that was the plan don't you think our father would have done that a long time ago." Lavender said annoyed putting her hand on Jughead's face, pushing him away, when he tried to join the conversation, "Jesus Christ Betty! This isn't Sons of Anarchy Okay, Ron Perlman isn't going to sweep Jughead off his feet and steal your boyfriend," Lavender argued spitting the word boyfriend at the blonde with disgust.

In their ire, the two girls had moved closer to each other despite Jughead sitting between them. Tired of their arguing the boy place a hand on each their shoulder and pushed them backwards giving himself space. Keeping his hands on their shoulders Jughead talked to Betty in a calm voice, "Don't worry. The foster family will cover for me with my social worker, but I won't be staying with them," Betty looked Jughead confused, "I am gonna be at the trailer with Lavender." Betty's expression morphed from confusion to disbelieve. "What! What? Why?" she spurted. "Archie almost lost his dad, he may still," jughead said sounding tired, "facing facts our dad is going away for a long ass time," turning to Lavender he continued, "wearing that jacket, riding his bike, living in the trailer.." "It means something," Lavender said finishing the point her brother was trying to get across, but it still wasn't enough for Betty. "I don't wanna see you get hurt," she said carefully with Jughead and Lavender's attention on her, "or hurting someone else, not because you did it on purpose but because that's the serpents' world. That's how they live." Lavender wrestled her brother's hand off her shoulder and stood to her feet. Looking Betty in the eyes, the brunette narrowed her eyes and said, "You don't know shit about how they live," before turning on her heels and marching out of the diner.

FP Jones' Truck, Pop's Parking Lot

It had been a long day and the second Lavender slammed the car door shut a wave of mixed emotions washed over her. Laying her head on the steering wheel, Lavender let her tears escape her eyes. The sound of her quiet sobs were drowned out by the rain's harsh beat. Every event and conversation that had unfolded that day, had pushed her closer and closer to the alleged edge. Betty's harsh words about the serpents had supplied the final push to make Lavender tumble and fall. Betty was right in her assessment, but it was only one half of the truth. A truth Lavender had once been equally blind to. The disgust and shame in Betty's voice was one Lavender could relate to, and she hated it, so she took her anger out on the blonde. The crying girl had told herself she wasn't ashamed so many times she lost count, but the truth remained. Lavender had always been embarrassed of her life, of her family and where they came from. So much so that she had sculptured her entire personality around hiding what her family was, and now she realised, she was doing the same thing all over again. Only this time she was trying to hide herself. The only person to ever see through her masquerade had been Sweet Pea. Every fight they had always came back to that. He had once called her a snake without a skin. Lavender hated how right he had been.

 _The Young Serpents' Hang-out Spot, Southside, Summer Vacation_

" _I don't think you understand how birthdays work," she pondered smiling from ear to ear. "What are you talking about?" He asked feigning ignorance as he wrapped his arms around the much smaller girl, dragging her down to sit on his lap. Letting him lead her, Lavender wrapped an arm around his neck leaving it to rest on the back of the couch and held up the small present wrapped in a week old copy of The Riverdale Register with her free hand. "Customarily the birthday boy is meant to receive presents," she said slowly as her boyfriend looked at her intensely while nodding slowly, "not give presents." Sweet Pea couldn't stop the grin growing on his face. Sliding his hands from her waist to rest on her bare thighs, on either side of him, thanking whatever god would listen that his girl had an affinity for shorts and skirts. Catching her eyes he said, "I never was good at following rules." Lavender giggled and Sweet Pea's grin grew. "Come on, open you_ _r_ _present," he said and kissed her collarbone. Slowly unwrapping the present to reveal a small purple cardboard box, Lavender began shaking it slightly and heard a low thump. Looking back at Sweet Pea, she thought she saw a flicker of worry but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Lavender's jaw dropped when she opened the box and saw the ring inside. It was a stunning silver snake ring, and not a cheap on either. "One of the older serpents, uhm, she makes jewelry and stuff. She has one of those Etsy store things." Sweet Pea was rambling, making Lavender realise he had been worried she wouldn't like the ring. Smiling, Lavender grabbed his face and kissed him once, and then twice more shutting him up. "I love it," she whispered against his lips gazing into his brown eyes. Their intimate moment was ruined when a small piece of cake hit them. The couple turned their heads and saw Fangs sitting beside them on the couch, shooting them a disgusted look. "Some of us are trying to eat here," he said with his mouth full of cake, "the two of you are just so rude," he continued while shoving a_ _nother_ _spoon full of cake into his mouth. Sweet Pea shoved his friend to the side laughing, making Fangs burst out "ARGH MY CAKE!," as he tried to save his piece from falling off the paper plate. "Put it on me," Lavender said recapturing Sweet Pea's attention. Sweet Pea slit the ring on her index finger, it was perfect fit. "Thank you," she said and kissed him again holding him close. "Hey Lavender!" came a shout from behind Sweet Pea, who gave an agitated grunt. It was Joaquin waving her to him. Getting up, she went to the serpent. "Wanna help with me a little project I got?" he asked and offered her a can of spray paint. Looking back at Sweet Pea, Lavender saw he had started play fighting Fangs for the boy's piece of cake. Hesitatingly she took the can and turned her gaze on the brick wall in front of them, "sure. What are you making?" Smiling from ear to ear he answered, "a giant ass serpent," while eyeing her ring._

" _Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to your house?" He asked watching her get of his motorcycle. "No this is fine. I can walk the rest of the way," she answered. Sweet Pea, sitting on his motorcycle, studied her as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. What could he possibly say to his girlfriend who obviously didn't want to risk any of her northside neighbours seeing them together. He would be lying if he said it didn't piss him off. Sweet Pea's musings were cut short when he felt Lavender's hand on his serpent tattoo. The soft look in her eyes and the warmth of her hand made him want to forget why he was angry, but you can't always have what you want. Lavender knew he wasn't happy with her answer, and she told herself her explanation wasn't a lie. "It's just I told my mom I was hanging out with some girls from the squad, and none of them own a motorcycle…" she said, "or is a 6 foot 5 giant." Acting offended Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, "Don't lie to yourself! You love all of this," he said burying his face in her neck. Lavender's phone buzzed in her pocket, "That's gotta be my mom," she said annoyed, "I have to go." Sweet Pea's arms tightened around her waist. He had no intention of letting her go. Taking his face in her hands, grey eyes melted into brown ones, "happy 17th birthday," she said giving his nose a small kiss. Reluctantly letting go of her, Sweet Pea kept a hold on her hand,"text me when you get home," he ordered. "Sir! Yes Sir," she said jokingly. Lavender began walking away, but turned around when she heard the loud noise of his motorcycle to watch her boyfriend drive away._

 _Running her thumb over the pattern on her ring, Lavender was reminded of a charm her mother used to wear. Lavender remembered Gladys hadn't worn it since kicking out her husband at the start of summer. Spotting her home Lavender stopped in her tracks and looked down at the ring. How would her mother react if she saw her daughter wearing serpent jewelry? Lavender decided she didn't want to know. Sliding it off, she buried it in the pocket of her jean jacket. "I am not ashamed," she told herself. It's not shame, I am not doing anything wrong. She mentally repeated the mantra till she walked through the front door and greeted her mom with a big smile. "How are the girls," her mom asked. "Oh my god! We had so much fun," she answered exited, hating herself._

A loud banging on her car window caused Lavender to jump up in surprise. Quickly erasing all evidence of her tears, she spotted Jughead. Rolling down her window she looked at him and asked, "What?" Jughead, too preoccupied with keeping his jacket over his head to avoid the rain, didn't notice his sister's red rimmed eyes. "We are heading back to the hospital." he said. The hospital was the last place Lavender wanted to be. "You guys go without me," she answered. "All right," Jughead said reluctantly, "see you at home?" Lavender nodded and rolled the window back up. Home? Is that what the trailer was? No, to Lavender it wasn't, but she wasn't about to correct her brother knowing that their father's trailer gave him comfort. Starting the truck Lavender drove towards the town center, ending up at the Riverdale Library.

Jones Trailer, Sunnydale Trailer Park, Evening

Nothing could have prepared Lavender for the sight that greeted as she kicked open the door to her father's trailer, her hands occupied by several bags from the grocery store. The first thing that hit Lavender's view, was her brother's look of absolute panic. Looking past him she saw Tall Boy and a young serpent named Casper hovering over a bound and gagged man bleeding heavily from the face. Dropping her bags where she stood Lavender looked to her brother for answers, "what the hell is going on here!" Her outburst gained her the attention of the two serpents. "How nice of you to join us," Tall Boy said sarcastically. Casper took this as he cue to continue what the newcomer had interrupted, "We thought, we might press him a bit," he said as Lavender went to stand by Jughead's side, Casper's eyes following her every move, "see if if it was all talk." Jughead indicated for the serpents to clarify. "And after a lengthy cross-examination, we concluded he was just being a loudmouth," Tall Boy elaborated as if he was a scientist explaining the outcome of his latest experiment. "What did you bring him here for?" Jughead shouted waving his arms in question, "if he didn't even do anything." Tall Boy stepped forward, and Lavender took a step back pulling Jughead with her. "So you could see we'd done as you asked," Tall boy answered agitated, "so you could tell your old man. It's important to us." Lavender stepped past her brother and said mockingly, "Oh, you wanna impress FP? Then maybe don't turn his home into a freaking crime scene, you moron!" Tall Boy and Casper each shot her a deathly look, making Jughead pull her behind him. "With or without the jacket you're a serpent," Tall Boy spat pointing at Jughead. "Alright, that's it! Get out and take your punching bag with you!," Lavender furiously shouted. Tall boy took the bleeding man by the neck and began dragging him out of the trailer without a second look to Lavender or Jughead. Casper, walking past them, bumped his shoulder with Lavender's and whispered with a sneer, "Welcome home, Lavender," before following the older serpent out.

Taking hold of the bags she had discarded on the floor, "see this is why I didn't want you to call him!," she said walking into the small kitchen, and began putting away the groceries passive aggressively. "I had to know Lavender," Jughead said from the living room. Deflating, Lavender leaned against the kitchen counter trying to collect her thoughts. Walking back into the living room she sent Jughead a pleading look, "please don't ask him or any of the serpents any more favours. It'll only end bad," she begged. Sitting down on the couch, Jughead patted the spot beside him. "I promise," he said as she sat next to him.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about Archie, as Jughead retold his twin everything their red haired friend had confessed about the robbery. On her way to bed, Lavender picked up her phone and found her mother's number. Should she call her, and tell her everything that was going on? Or should she keep Gladys in blissful ignorance? As her finger hovered over her mother's name, the teen made a decision. She was only going to tell her mother the good things. The things that wouldn't keep her worrying. Moving on from her mother, Lavender instead found Archie's name. "If you ever wanna talk, I am here. Anytime." she wrote. The message was short but it was all she had.

Lavender just hoped her friend wouldn't lose himself in his own misery.

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There is a picture of Lavender's ring on my blog


	7. Ghosts Divided Part 1

Might containe profanity

Check out my profile for links regarding character moodboards/aesthetics and the playlist

* * *

 **Day One**

Pop's Chocklit' Shoppe, Morning

The day Lavender returned to Riverdale, something took root in the darkest corners of her mind. Was it fear? Doubt? Or just plain old anxiety? She wasn't sure. It's difficult to adequately define something to you can't see. To put your finger on something with no solid form. However, looking at the deserted and borderline out-of-a-zombie-movie diner, Lavender was certain, that whatever dark and twisted emotion had made a home in her mind was slowly venturing away from it's dark corner. For a moment all Lavender could see were the words _Death Diner_ grotesquely marring the front of Riverdale's former safe haven. More confused than shocked, Jughead softly squeezed his sister's upper arm, bringing her back from the dead end her mind was no doubt stuck at. At the sight of the seemingly abandoned diner, the tall boy had lead out a befuddled, "what the hell," but his other half had gone into an almost catatonic state. It was a little unsettling to him. Jughead had never seen his sister react to anything like that. Having felt the hostile reactions the citizens of Riverdale used to cope with the unwanted on his own body and mind, Jughead was no longer shocked at the sight of them, but Lavender's reaction reminded him, she had left Riverdale before Jason's murder and had therefore been spared standing witness to the their hometown's slow descent into madness. With a turn of her head Lavender was staring into her brother's green eyes. "They are so different from my own," she thought, an unwelcome thought following immediately in its wake, "but the same as dad's." Unaware of her thoughts, Jughead made an encouraging nod towards the diner.

The diner's interior did nothing to sooth Lavender. Although Fred's blood had been washed away and the floor expertly bleached, it's presence remained, absorbed by the building's foundation, leaving the air stale and stifling. Pop Tate was leaning heavily on the counter, as if it was the only thing in the world capable of keeping him standing. With a weathered hand, wrinkled from age and several decades of manual labour, the Riverdale legend hopelessly stroked the top of his head. "Did you see?" the old man asked, "did you see what they wrote on my Chocklit' Shoppe?" Pop was looking right at them, but Lavender had a nagging feeling that although he was looking at them and knew they were there, the old man was too distraught to truly see them. And why shouldn't he be? The diner was his life, it was all he had, and now it was falling through his fingers. The people of Riverdale all too willing to let it. In their hurry to abandon the diner, they had abandoned Pop Tate too. Knowing the only thing that could take Pop's mind of off the grave Riverdale was burying him in, was to give him something to do, the twins ordered their breakfast, and with a grateful nod from Pop, they quickly sat down in a booth by one of the windows overlooking the empty parking lot.

"Sooo," Lavender droned while stabbing her eggs, "last week at Riverdale High?" Although presented as a question the tilt of Lavender's head and the pleading look in her eyes, told Jughead it was more of an attempt to banish the uncomfortable silence of the diner than a question. The two had never had any problems sitting in silence, but the unfamiliar emptiness of the diner was suffocating them both. Accepting the bait Jughead took a small sip of his black coffee and said, "yeah, I am not really expecting any grand farewell." For a second Jughead recalled how his classmates had reacted to his sister's sudden disappearance, and how many of them had only taken time to interact with him to ask where she was and when she was coming back and why wasn't she answering any of their messages? Suddenly finding eye contact with her difficult, Jughead focused on his pancakes, and shifted the subject. "So what productive happenings have you got planned for your day?" "Oh not much, just finishing some assignments for school," she answered nonchalant, making her brother look up with confusion. Lavender couldn't resist the laugh bubbling through her at Jughead's confusion. "I might be here in Riverdale, but until Friday at four PM I am very much still a student of The Saint Teresa's School For Young Ladies," Lavender said with an over-the-top imitation of the school's principal Mother Julienne. "I can't believe Mom enrolled you in a catholic school," Jughead said befuddled and a little amused, "we're not even religious." "They actually had a pretty decent arts program. I'll miss that one," she said quickly adding, "one thing I won't miss though, those damn uniforms." Pointing her fork at her brother and smiling, "If I never see a school uniform again it'll be too soon."

Eating the last bits of his meal Jughead pushed aside his plate. Placing his arms on the table he nervously said, "we need to talk," aware Lavender wasn't about to like what he had to say. "I thought we were," she answered looking at him over the rim of her glass of apple juice. "We need to talk about Dad," he quickly clarified. Lavender slowly placed her glass on the table, and when she looked at Jughead, he saw a wall immediately go up behind her eyes. When it became clear she wasn't going to answer him, he composed himself and continued, "I am going to the station after school," when that didn't provoke any reaction from the girl across from him Jughead continued, "to talk to Dad and his lawyer about the trial," still his sister remained quiet, "I want you to come with me." Shaking her head lavender shifted her attention from her brother to the deserted front of the chocklit' shoppe. "Please Lavender," Jughead pleaded. "No," she said keeping her eye on the grey pavement outside. "What about Ghost Club?" he asked quietly earning her attention once more. Squirming slightly in her seat, Lavender looked at her brother with a stern gaze, "You can't help him Jughead. Whether or not he killed Jason, Dad still helped Mr. Blossom," she tried to explain, "there is nothing we can do. This hurts me too Jug." Jughead was looking at her in disbelief, but all she could think was _how can he be shocked at my opinion on this?_ "Dad knew what he agreed to. He made his bed, and we can't stop him from lying in it." Jughead leaned back in his seat and turned his head away from Lavender. An uncomfortable silence fell over the table, with vibes of disappointment and anger rolling of off Jughead, making Lavender anxiously fiddle with the sleeves of her yellow sweater. After a minute Jughead turned his head back to his twin, but his eyes were fixed on some spot behind her. He slowly started speaking with a quiet anger, "so Ghost Club only matters when _you_ decide it does, but not when Dad needs our support?" If his voice at that moment could have been bottled, it would no doubt be a most toxic venom. Lavender tried to speak. She wanted to explain herself, but she was interrupted by Jughead suddenly leaving his seat. "I need to get to school," he said coldly throwing some bills at the table before making his way to the exit, once again without granting his sister a single look. "JUGHEAD!," Lavender shouted after him distressed.

Having heard his costumer's shout Pop stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Is everything okay out here Lavender?," he asked concerned. All he got in reply was the thud of Lavender's forehead hitting the table in despair.

Jones' Trailer, Southside

If glaring at the empty word document on her computer screen could magically conjure forth a finished short story worthy of an A+, Lavender would have one less thing to beat herself up about. ""Why in the world did I think taking creative writing would be a good idea?" She mumbled to herself. "I am not the literary genius in this trailer, Jughead is!" Gently kicking away her laptop Lavender laid down on her bed with a loud sigh and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she should get some fresh air? Clear her head? Shutting her eyes tightly Lavender breathed out an even deeper sigh. "Go outside and what? Take a stroll around the block?" she asked herself, "see how many serpents I can run into?" It was a terrible idea, Lavender knew that the moment it had popped into her head. Thanks to Casper's less than enthusiastic greeting the previous night, Lavender knew she was well and royally screwed. Getting up she started pacing the small bedroom, her frustration increasing with each step. What the hell was she going to do come Monday, because avoiding every single teenage member of the Southside Serpents would be an impossible feat, and as soon as the Ghoulies smells the bad blood between her and their rivals, Lavender will be a dead girl walking. Throwing herself back on her bed, tears began clouding Lavender's vision as she thought of Sweet Pea's possible reactions to her return.

The Andrews' House, Northside, Late Evening

"Hi," greeted Lavender hopefully, but Jughead ignored her and made his way to Archie's home the moment she met him on the lawn. "Alrighty then, still not talking to me," she said dejected before follow after her twin. After the fiasco at the diner, Jughead had ended up going to the station alone. He had seen the disappointment that FP had failed to hide when only one of his children walked through the doors. Returning to the trailer, Jughead was only there long enough to say "20 years," before throwing his backpack on the floor and storming out. He hadn't looked at her once, but Lavender had decided to not let it hurt her. Only there was a small problem, deciding not to feel something rarely works.

Lavender wasn't the least bit surprised or confused when Jughead tipped over a small ceramic frog. The frog had been a resident of Archie's backporch for the past ten years, paying rent by faithfully guarding the backdoor key. Or maybe not so faithfully, Lavender pondered while watching her brother pull forth the key and unlock the door. What did surprise Lavender however, and Jughead too for that matter, was their childhood friend jumping through the doorway, clutching a bat with both hands, looking like he had just escaped the locked ward. Jughead gave a quick jump backwards, almost stumbling into his sister, in an attempt to avoid the bat. "Woah! Woah," he said raising his hands to his chest and stared at his best friend with shock. Upon realising his mistake Archie lowered his bat and breathed out in relief, but his relief was only momentary. Why was Jughead and Lavender out after dark, when his dad's attempted murderer was still loose? "Are you guys insane" he asked incredulous. Appearing from behind Jughead, Lavender pined Archie with an annoyed look, "good evening to you too, Arch," before pushing past her brother and their friend to enter the kitchen. "You're the one who looks like a dream warrior from Nightmare On Elm street 3," said Jughead amused as he walked to the kitchen island and sat down across from Lavender, still ignoring her. Joining the twins Archie looked at them carefully before asking, "what did the lawyer say?" Archie didn't need to be the brightest boy in town to know why the twins were at his house. Jughead, still very much ignoring his sister, looked as if the world was balancing on his shoulders, "I've been walking around all night, trying to wrap my head around how bad it is," he said continuing after shaking his head in disbelief, "It's bad, my dad is facing 20 years, Archie." Unsure of the proper reaction to Jughead's revelation, the slightly older boy did the only thing he could think of. Throwing his arm around Lavender's shoulders, pulling her into his side in a comforting manner making her look up at him instead of staring a hole into the kitchen counter, he said to them both,"Crap! I am sorry, you guys. That sucks." When Lavender remained silent, her brother continued delivering the bad news, "The lawyer thinks he should take the deal, and if he doesn't and the case goes to trial, he could be facing 40 years." With his attention firmly on the counter, Jughead missed the panic and horror that had taken over Lavender's features. 40 years?! Jughead had only mentioned 20. Dumbfounded Lavender said, "40! You didn't say anything about that before." With a quick motion Jughead's angry gaze was fixed on his sister, "I wouldn't have needed to tell you anything in the first place if you had gone to the station with me," he sneered, momentarily forgetting there was a third person in the room. _Oh shit,_ was the only thought that entered Archie's head upon the awkward silence following the angry spat between his friends.

 **Day 2**

Somewhere in Riverdale, Afternoon

He was debating whether or not to call her. He had after all just broken a promise he had made to her no less than four days ago, not to mention he had made it very clear that he wasn't going to speak to her. So here he was. Jughead Jones nervously fiddling with his phone, after asking Tall Boy for help, despite promising his sister, his twin, not to do that exact thing. Jughead had to talk to Penny Peabody, he simply had to. Their father's life depended on it, but the prospect of going to her alone, without the support of his best friend, was less than tempting, because as angry and disappointed as he was at her complete abandonment of their father Jughead needed Lavender. Making his mind up, the beanie clad teen pulled up her number on his phone. The picture accompanying it was an old one, they were at the Drive-In sticking their green tongues, the result of too much green sour candy, out at the camera. Jughead's eyes were crossed and hers were tightly closed and her nose scrunched up, the top of Jellybean's head between them barely visible. That had been the last time they had all gone to the Twilight Drive-In as a family. Banishing the unwelcome memory, Jughead called his sister. Lavender picked up on the first ring, not bothering to hide her eagerness to talk to Jughead. "Jug?" she asked surprised though the phone. Not bothering to say hello, Jughead got right to it. "Wanna make it up to me? Meet me on Lantern Street in 15 minutes."

Shovelhead's Tattoos and Piercings, Southside

Surveying the outside of a shop of questionable legality, Lavender stood with her head slightly askew and an eyebrow raised in confusion. She had cautiously made her way from the safety of the trailer to the small shop, with the hope of reconciling with her twin, but why had Jughead asked her to meet him here of all places? Why not at Pop's, or for heaven's sake the trailer they shared? Waiting for Jughead to arrive was starting to make Lavender feel antsy. The shop was clearly Serpent territory, and the last thing she wanted was to be recognised by anyone around here. By the time Jughead arrived, Lavender had nervously pulled way too many loose strings from the distressed hem of her jean skirt. "Is this your way of telling me you want matching tattoos?" she asked trying to disguise her nervousness the moment the taller boy stood by her side, "because personally I think you would look absolutely fetching with a chain of flowers on your lower back." Jughead could see right through his sister's attempt at humour, unfortunately Jughead mistook her nervousness and thought he was the cause behind it. Throwing his left arm around her shoulder as a sign of goodwill, he began leading her to the tattoo parlour. "Don't worry Lavender, we aren't doing anything bad," he said as they walked through the door, "we just need to talk to someone is all."

Inside the shop Lavender gave the place a proper look. Oh yeah, this place is definitely serpent territory. Almost every surface of the parlour had some form of the serpent imagery. A man was busy tattooing another and didn't notice the two teens entering his place of business. He gave off a mean energy and didn't strike either Lavender or Jughead as the type of person you would want to piss off. _This must be Shovelhead then,_ Lavender thought grimly. "We're uhm," Jughead started saying nervously, but it didn't seem to gain him the tattoo artist's attention but Jughead continued regardless, "we're here for Penny Peabody?" It came out as more like a question than the confident demand Jughead had hoped it would for. Shovelhead tipped his head slightly towards a door at the back of the room, indicating where they would find Penny, without looking away from his costumer or interrupting his work. Making eye contact with her brother, Lavender shrugged and motioned for Jughead to go first, and reluctantly he did.

The beaded door curtain gave way to a cluttered office. It looked more like the room of a messy teenager than the office of a lawyer, Jughead thought. The new room didn't make Lavender feel anymore confident in whatever-the-hell her brother was doing and why it had to be done on serpent territory nor did it make her feel anymore at ease when a woman suddenly appeared from behind the desk. This must be Penny Peabody then, thought Lavender less than impressed. Penny was near their father's age, perhaps a few years younger. Her blonde bop was tousled and the eyeliner on her right eye was slightly smeared. All in all she looked a right mess, but she didn't seem at all bothered by it, Lavender had to give her that. _Wait,_ thought Lavender, _had she been asleep on the floor behind her desk?_ The mess of a woman gave the twins a quick once over before attacking the myriad of papers strewn across her desk. "Forgive the office space, but I am a firm believer in low overhang," she said noticing the two youths were still standing awkwardly by the door, she waved her hand at the two chairs in-front of her desk. Taking her own seat she patiently waited for her guests to follow her lead, "plus I like being close to my clients," she explained as soon as Jughead and Lavender were seated. "Your clients," Jughead started to say uncertain, while eyeing Lavender, knowing his sister wasn't going to like the end of his sentence, "being the serpents." Since entering the tattoo parlour, and in extension it's back office, Lavender's features had been marked with confusion. That all melted away the moment Jughead mentioned who the woman's clients were. Burning a hole into the side of her twins face, the betrayal on Lavender's face dared him to turn his head and look her in the eyes. It hadn't even been two days since he had promised her, he wouldn't ask the serpents for anymore favours. That little shit! Was all Lavender's brain was able to formulate. "Well, I was and still am a serpent," stated Penny as she proudly pulled down the sleeve of her leather jacket to reveal a serpent tattoo. "Oh! You have got to be kidding me," Lavender muttered with her teeth clenched. Penny sat up straight and looked Lavender straight in the eyes, almost as if she was challenging the teen. "You must be Lavender," she said her voice as sweet as sugar. Lavender sunk further into her chair as her thoughts turned into a stream of profanities.

Having won the first round Penny focused on Jughead. "They put me through college. Law school." Nodding, Jughead absorbed her every word. "Right," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "the serpents are often on the other side of the law, so having one of their own on retainer, helping out," he said, "it's clever." The impressed tone in his voice made Lavender do a double take. She wanted to blurt out that now really wasn't a good moment to admire their father's gang. Their father who was on trial for murder, Lavender wanted to remind him. "And sometimes they are even innocent," Penny said once again making eye contact with Lavender. Although her tone was light and joking as she said it, both women knew Penny may as well have reached across the desk and slapped the teenage girl. Focusing on the male teenager once again, Penny's smile became even more sugary, something Lavender hadn't known was possible. Her smile reminded Lavender of a children's song Mrs. Webster used to make them sing in kindergarten,

 _Never smile at a crocodile_

 _No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile_

 _Don't be taken in by his welcome grin_

 _He's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin_

 _Never smile at a crocodile_

And Lavender instantly knew, trusting Penny Peabody would be a grave mistake, but unfortunately it seemed her brother had left his common sense on the other side of the beaded curtain. While Lavender had been caught by the train of her own thoughts, the conversation between Jughead and Penny had continued. "... the deal he has been offered. It's garbage," Penny stated leaning back comfortably in her chair. Sitting on the edge of his chair Jughead asked if she could help. Lavender grabbed his arm and dug her nails into his skin, forcing him to look at her. "What the hell?!" she mouthed, but all she got in return was a determined look from her brother. "I know the loopholes. In this case," Penny said before pausing taking enjoyment from seeing the two Jones' on edge,"... there are none, but if you get the victim's family to forgive him, in front of a jury, that might shift things in FP's favour. Instead of 20 years, he can get time served with parole," she concluded leaving one teen excited and the other ready to bury herself. "Oh! That's great," Jughead said standing from his seat, "thank you. Oh um, are we supposed to pay you or?" "Yeah Jughead, that is usually how these things work," Lavender said leaving her chair also and looking at her brother like his head was floating above his neck. "We're friends. I do you a favour and one day, maybe, you do me a favour," Penny said making alarm bells go off in Lavender's head. "No," came Lavender's stern answer. It was Lavender's turn now to challenge Penny. Stepping closer to the desk the two women locked eyes. "We aren't friends. We," Lavender pointed at herself and Jughead and then to Penny, "are strangers. We either pay you money or whatever the hell this was is pro bono, because we are not.." Jughead's right hand fell over Lavender's mouth preventing her from finishing her sentence, "It's a deal," he said while dragging his sister, his hand still keeping her from talking, out of the room.

Back on the deserted street, Lavender licked Jughead's hand making him quickly remove it. Pushing Jughead away from her with all of the strength she had, Lavender started to ramble, "Well dad is fucked! The victim's family is the Blossoms, no way in hell Cheryl or that demon she calls mother will ever, _ever,_ forgive dad," Jughead watched on as his sister started walking back and forth, "and I don't trust that Penny lady. A favour Jughead, what the hell were you thinking?!" "Lavender," Jughead said trying to get her attention without success. "And where did you even hear about her anyway?" "Tall Boy." Those two words made Lavender's pacing stop immediately. "What?," she asked. "20 or 40 years, L," came the dejected answer from the boy, "I know I promised not to ask the Serpents anymore favours, but I am desperate. Can you honestly say you want dad to go away for 20 to 40 years?" he asked. The boy Lavender had known would rather have died than break a promise, but obviously that boy didn't exist anymore. With betrayal and chaos filling her chest, Lavender fought to keep her tears abay. She didn't know whether they were brought forth by Jughead or their father's predicament or the fact that Lavender was steadily failing at what she had set out to do when she had decided to come back to Riverdale. Jughead was throwing himself to the wolfs, and he was practically begging Lavender not to stop him. "Our family has already brought them too much hurt," Lavender said referring the two remaining Blossoms, "This isn't the right way," she said suppressing a sob. "Maybe not, but it is the only way," he responded suddenly seeming so much older.

Thistlehouse, Evening

"It's dark, there is a would-be murderer on the loose and I am standing under a streetlamp like a dumbass," Lavender muttered to herself annoyed. With every hour the week had been steadily rising on her list of top 5 terrible weeks. It had started out with Pop's being left in the dust and a fight with Jughead. Then he had broken his promise not to ask the serpents for anymore favours and then the whole Penny thing, and now? Now Jughead was expecting her to somehow convince Penelope and Cheryl Blossom to publicly forgive the man who helped Clifford Blossom murder his own son. If Lavender didn't love her brother so much, she would have hit him, an urge Lavender found to be quickly growing as she spotted Jughead walking towards her in the dark followed closely by the last person she wanted to see, Betty Cooper. With her tolerance for bullshit starting to run low, Lavender didn't care about Betty feeling welcome, she wasn't because to Lavender, what she and Jughead were about to do had nothing to do with Betty. "Why did you bring Betsy," asked Lavender harshly practically hissing the name Betsy. Betty's left eye twitched, she really hated being called Betsy. " _Betty_ and Cheryl are cousins through their fathers," Jughead explained annoyed at the animosity between his twin and his girlfriend, "so you know, she might actually be able to help." If eyebrows could actually disappear into someone's hairline, Lavender would be missing hers. _Cousins?_ Composing herself not wanting Betty to see her surprise, she turned to the other girl and said in an emotionless voice, "and I always thought you got your crazy from your mom, but I stand corrected. It was a joint effort on your parent's part," well aware the other girl couldn't clap back with an equally low remark about Lavender's parents without also hurting Jughead, but if looks could kill Betty would be guilty of murder. "Lavender stop it," Jughead warned. "Whatever, let's just get this over with," she said and walked towards the front door of Thistlehouse, followed by her twin and his girlfriend.

Letting Jughead ring the doorbell, Lavender was stuck somewhere between looking forward to seeing Cheryl again and dreading it. Lavender had always liked Cheryl Blossom, sure the tall red head was intimidating and at times a little cruel, but her no nonsense and just do it attitude had always inspired Lavender. There was more to Cheryl than what met the eye. Cheryl was often referred to as The Ice Queen, because she could came off as cold and bossy, but was it really a wonder? A blind person could see what Cheryl's parents was like, always demanding the best and when Cheryl finally met their expectations it still wasn't enough for them, but past the icy and bossy exterior Cheryl was a fiercely loyal friend. Lavender knew, because she had seen it first hand. Lavender had seen Jason and Josie McCoy give Cheryl the kindness and understanding she never got from home but desperately craved, and Lavender had seen Cheryl pay it back tenfold, it was all a matter of being brave and patient enough to get behind Cheryl's front. "My dad helped kill her brother," Lavender's brain reminded her, and she was right back to dreading meeting Cheryl again. Cheryl Blossom was a fierce friend, but she was a lethal enemy.

 _To be Continued_

I've started tagging my moodboards and reviews for this story fic: paper love for those of you interested in following my story progress on t.u.m.b.l.r :)

I hope you all enjoyed this. Part 2 will be published sometime after the next blue moon or whatever :P

 ***Annoyingly cheery youtuber voice** * Don't forget to comment and subscribe down below!


	8. Note!

Hi Everybody!

Got some bad news. I am sure you've all noticed, it takes me quite a long time to update this story, well that's because I simply don't have the motivation to write it. My lack of motivation is a mix of my mental health issues, the show and it's writers frustrating me on a cosmic level and the fact that the Riverdale fandom is one of the most toxic fandoms I've ever been near (not calling out any one specific. Chill).

The first season really had me hooked, I mean let's be real the first season was golden, but the second kind of lost me and I'm honestly not sure if I'll even watch the third, so until I've made up my mind on what to do regarding this story, it'll be on hiatus.

I apologize if you liked the story and was looking forward to the next chapter, but I do believe this is the right decision for me to make.

Sidenote* I do however have another fic in the works (for a different fandom) so I'll be back at some point


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